


Leave Me Out With The Waste

by VeryFckingAmusing



Series: Roma University [9]
Category: Spartacus Series (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M, Minor mentions of sexual abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-16
Updated: 2013-10-16
Packaged: 2017-12-29 14:21:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1006446
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VeryFckingAmusing/pseuds/VeryFckingAmusing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castus helps a drunk Nasir out, causing a blow out between good friends, a reunion of old friends and maybe even the beginnings of a new friendship...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Leave Me Out With The Waste

**Author's Note:**

> Title from 9 Crimes - Damien Rice

"You're a mess, young'un."

Nasir moaned.

"Come on, one hoof in front of the other. If you won't let me carry you, you've gotta put a little effort in..." he grunted with exertion as they finally scaled the last of the stairs, "Number 24, right?"

"Mmhmm..." Nasir breathed deeply into his shoulder as another wave of nausea hit him and he whined, "Castus..."

Castus frowned and tried to pick up the pace, "I know, Nasir, I know. Almost there. You're alright."

All joking aside, Castus was concerned. He'd only taken Nasir home rather than to the hospital after he'd begged, insisting it wasn't drugs and that he was just a lightweight. He compromised by offering to stay and watch over him, to which Nasir gratefully agreed, tears brimming in his eyes. Castus couldn't tell if they were from pain and exhaustion or something else. His friend had been oddly tight lipped all night since he'd found him at the house party.

They finally reached Nasir's apartment and Castus ushered him inside as quickly as possible. The minute they were in the door, Nasir broke free of his support and stumbled to the bathroom. Castus locked the front door behind himself and then hurried after Nasir, finding him buried in the toilet, retching. His shoulders convulsed with effort but he only brought up thin, watery bile.

"Fucking hell, Nasir," he snapped before he could stop himself, "You're a grown man. You know better than to drink on an empty stomach."

But his frustration didn't stop him kneeling behind Nasir to pull his bangs away from his clammy face.

"Have you got any pain tablets?" he asked, other hand coming up to rub his back when he heaved a second time.

Nasir shook his head and swallowed, cringing.

"No... My roommate might."

"Okay, I'll ask her. Do you want me to move you to your bed or do you need to stay here?"

Nasir shook his head again, lips clamped tight together, and pointed at the toilet.

Nasir's roommate, a performing student called Illythia, was the bane of his friend's existence. According to him, she was a snob who hadn't said more than three kind words in her life. The only thing that kept him living with her was the fact that she didn't mind loaning him rent money when he was short, which was often. Castus took a deep breath before knocking on her bedroom door.

"Yes?" came a surprised voice.

"Hey, uh, my name's Castus..." he figured he'd remind her even though he'd met her about five times, "Nasir's pretty wrecked, do you have any Nurofen or something?"

He could hear her loud sigh even through the door and waited while she rustled about, searching. Castus bit back a retort to her imposed attitude. Nasir was one of the most responsible people he knew. He was sure this wasn't a regular problem in their household. Still, for Nasir's sake he decided to play nice and wait patiently. Finally, the door opened and Illythia held a box of tablets out.

"Could you manage to keep it down?" she requested, smile so obviously fake he was surprised she was even allowed to study acting, "I have an assessment tomorrow."

"Will do. Thanks very much." he said cheerily. Two could play at that game.

He stopped in the kitchen to grab a bottle of water from the fridge and brought them back to the bathroom, but found it surprisingly vacant. He found Nasir laying on his back on his bedroom floor, arm tossed across his eyes. He immediately switched off the ceiling light and smiled at Nasir's appreciative sigh.

He sat Nasir up and fed him two Nurofen tablets, then ordered him to drink as much of the water as he could. He tried to tempt him with some food but Nasir nearly started retching again at the mere mention, so instead he helped him get settled in bed.

Once his shoes and jacket were off and he was tucked under the covers, Nasir smiled weakly at him.

"Thank you, Castus," he sighed, "You're a.... you're the bomb."

Castus tried to keep his voice down while he laughed. He patted Nasir's shoulder.

"Any time, love. You wanna tell me what tonight was about?"

"Not really." Nasir looked away and Castus regretted bringing it up when he saw the discomfort flash in his eyes.

"Alright. I'm gonna crash on the couch so I'll be able to hear you if you call out. Don't hesitate if you change your mind about food or whatever."

"You don't have to sleep on the couch," Nasir murmured.

Castus smiled guiltily as he said, "Ah... Yes I do."

Nasir nodded once, meeting his gaze with watery eyes. They didn't often talk about Castus's feelings. Nasir was adamant that they'd go away over time ("Once you get to know me properly," he'd joked) but it became pretty obvious that that wasn't going to happen as time went on. So they decided on a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy to make things easier. It worked well and Castus could generally forget that he was mad for his friend when they were hanging out in a group, but every now and then they'd get a little too close and he couldn't help reading too far into it. It was pathetic and frankly embarrassing, so distance was the key.

"I'm sorry." Nasir whispered.

"Don't be stupid, it's not your fault. Good night."

  
-

  
In hindsight, Castus really should have known something was wrong by the way his friends immediately hushed when he walked over to join them for Sunday breakfast. But, foolishly, he smiled and sat down anyway.

"Morning, guys," he said, "Have you ordered? Sorry I'm late, I had to go home and change first."

He expected a rapture of cheering and questions. Sure, he'd have to break it to them that he didn't _actually_ hook up and instead spent the night helping his wasted friend get up almost hourly to puke, but he'd hoped to mess with them just a little beforehand. Instead, Pietros and Chadara swapped knowing stares. He fidgeted anxiously.

"Guys, what...?"

Pietros glared at him and Castus almost cringed. Things had been rough between the once close friends for a long time, there was no denying. But Castus had thought they were slowly but surely getting back on the right track. Unfortunately, if Pietros's face was anything to go by, they'd taken a wrong turn heading straight to hell.

"How's Nasir?" Pietros asked.

"Damn, the jig's up," he attempted to grin but found himself still wilting under his friend's stare, "He's feeling a bit better. Once I got some food into him he seemed to perk up a bit. Mind you, that was at 3 in the morning so it was a long night. How'd you know, anyway?"

"It's getting around campus, that someone saw you taking him home." Chadara explained, sounding at least a little sympathetic.

"And that he was trashed." Pietros finished nastily, "Y'know, just when I think you can't get any more despicable..."

Castus froze, eyebrows furrowing while Chadara looked between the two like she was watching a tennis match.

"Whoa," he said, "Pietros, what are you talking about? I really hope you aren't implying what I think you are."

"What, you're denying it? Well I give you credit for some guilt, at least. I expected you'd brag."

Castus's fists balled on the table and he fought to stay in his seat. His body felt hot and freezing at the same time and he could swear he could hear the blood rushing through his ears. He couldn't even hear what Chadara was saying to Pietros, though it looked like some kind of warning.

"No, fucking hell!" Pietros growled, "I'm sick of you all making excuses for this disgusting excuse for a man. He never changes but you give him chance after chance. But this has crossed the fucking line, Castus, I swear..."

"Hey, watch your fucking mouth!" Castus hissed, well aware of the looks they were getting from the other diners, "You don't even know what happened!"

"I know-" Pietros began, but Castus slammed an open palm on the table to silence him.

"You don't know shit! _Nobody_ said we fucked, did they? That's not a part of the little rumor, is it?"

Pietros gaped for a moment.

"No, Castus, they didn't, it's just-" Chadara tried, reaching out to grab his forearm but finding it ripped away.

"No, they didn't. That was all _you_ , in that twisted little mind of your's, making me a monster. You, my friend." Castus rounded on Chadara, "Y'know, I expect that shit from him but I thought you knew better."

Chadara's blue eyes were watering but Castus was beyond caring, seeing red.

"I suppose Barca was too disgusted to even come to breakfast. Fuckers..."

"Leave him the fuck out of this, he actually defended you." Pietros snapped, "Which is more than you fucking deserve."

"He's not here now, is he, oh Barca the Defender? Probably too embarrassed."

"What's he got to be embarrassed about? He didn't take advantage of a drunk _friend_."

"I didn't fucking touch Nasir! I put him to fucking bed and held his fucking hair while he threw up. When will you get that through your-"

"You need to leave." came a firm voice next to them.

The three of them jumped simultaneously, not even realising that the entire diner had frozen to watch them whisper-shout themselves hoarse. The manager was holding a sign that read 'We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone' and glaring at them murderously. Castus huffed and stood up.

"Gladly." he hissed, sparing one last scathing look at Pietros and Chadara before stomping out.

He didn't look back when he heard his name being called and didn't slow when he heard footsteps running to catch up with him. When a hand grabbed his shoulder none-too-gently, he had to bite his lip hard to refrain from throwing a punch.

"Hey, I'm not fucking done here!" Pietros snapped, "Why the fuck did you take him home if you weren't gonna try anything? Why didn't you call somebody who he could actually fucking trust?"

"What, like you?" Castus laughed cruelly, "I'd be lucky to catch you even remotely coherent that late on a Saturday night. Maybe I should've called Barca. He must be an expert on dealing with wasted messes by now."

Pietros snarled and made to retort but Castus wouldn't have a bar of it.

"Nasir's my friend, I'm perfectly qualified to take care of him. And don't you say shit about my feelings, I'm able to control myself, you know? I'm not a fucking animal."

"That's debatable-"

"Shut the fuck up, Pietros!" Castus was yelling now but he really couldn't care less about causing a scene. He was almost finished with him, anyway.

"You can just shut the fuck up with your ripping on me!" he ordered, "Because I'm onto you, you hypocritical shit. You treat me like a fucking dirtbag just to cover for yourself. You couldn't stand knowing everyone thought of you as the homewrecking arsehole who fucked Auctus's life up so you made me your shield. Well that's over now. I'm finished grovelling at your feet every time you need an ego boost. Take a fucking look in the mirror and own up to your own shitty life choices."

_Then_ he stomped off.

  
-

  
Castus's primary reaction to any strong emotion was to sleep it off. That, combined with maybe the hazy two hours rest he'd gotten the night before, resulted in the 7 hour power nap he took the minute he got home from breakfast at hell. As expected, his phone was flooded with missed calls and messages when he woke up, all of which he ignored. Instead, he sent a text to Nasir saying he hoped he felt better and then one to the only person he wanted to talk to at a time like this.

Belesa was at his door in less than ten minutes, an amazing feat considering she didn't even live in the city.

"I was on a date." she explained as she made herself comfortable on his couch.

"Oh shit, sorry Bel, I didn't-"

"Pft, don't be. I was looking for an excuse to leave anyway. If you'd hadn't called I would've told him I left the oven on or something. Probably spared his feelings, actually, poor prick..."

Castus let that soak in for a moment, grinning from ear to ear.

"I've missed you." he said fondly.

She winked cheesily and took a sip of wine.

"I don't know what I was thinking, agreeing to go out with him." she paused and reconsidered, "Well, I do. I was thinking I'd get a promotion. But halfway through I realised I'd actually probably get fired when he tried to fuck me and discovered I'm a stone cold dyke with no patience for the peen whatsoever."

"That bad, is he?"

"The worst, but I'm not embarrassed to do bad things for a promotion." she grinned winningly.

There was no denying Belesa was deplorable. She seemed to exist on this whole other plane of morality though, where she could do all the shocking things she wanted and Castus would still think she was incredible. Friendship since childhood could have that effect, he guessed.

They chatted about her life for a little longer and Castus laughed himself sore when she showed him the tattoo she'd drunkenly gotten on her breast. Then they talked about him. She yawned dramatically when he tried to tell her about his classes so he stuck to the juicy stuff, filling her in on the regular family drama and his other comings and goings. Mercifully, she didn't ask to hear about what was troubling him. Belesa was nothing if not observant, and he knew she wouldn't bring it up unless he did, which he had no intention of doing. So instead, the old friends enjoyed a bottle of wine and many good laughs. He was almost able to forget that his other friendships with some of the closest people in his life were as good as ruined. Almost.

  
-

  
Belesa left early in the morning, kissing him on the cheek and assuring him that she'd always be around if he needed her. Castus carried that sentiment around like a support blanket for the rest of the day. He avoided all his regular spots as he went about his day, knowing his friends would be on the lookout and ready to pounce. Unfortunately, that brought him to cross paths with someone he'd been hoping to avoid perhaps more than Pietros.

Surprisingly, Agron just waved.

Castus braced himself for impact as the tall man ran over to join him at the treadmills, even though Agron was actually smiling at him, albeit hesitantly.

"Hey, Castus, I didn't know you worked out here."

"I don't, usually. I'm a member at the gym down near the sushi place, I just thought I'd... check this place out," he half-lied, unwilling to admit he was hiding.

"Oh, okay," Agron shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable, "So, uh... Look, I wanted to thank you for what you did for Nasir the other night."

"Really?"

Agron scoffed despite himself, "Yes. My own feelings aside, I'm glad he had someone there to look out for him. He really isn't that great on the drink."

They shared a fond smile which quickly became an awkward moment when they realised what they were doing. Nevertheless, Agron pressed on.

"I was working the night shift," he explained, "And I don't know if Nasir told you or not that his brother called..."

Castus shook his head, no.

"Oh, well, yeah. Y'know, they haven't spoken in years and it was really hard for him. I mean, it's up to him to tell you the full story if he wants to, but I just thought I should explain why I wasn't around." he scratched the back of his head and sighed, "I would have take the rest of the night off to look after him if I'd known. He sent me a text telling me he was going out to that party but I didn't know what had happened with his brother so I thought he'd be fine."

Castus took a moment to appreciate how horrified Agron must've been, finding out what had happened the day after, and cringed.

"Anyway, I'm just trying to say thanks. I know I've been pretty hard on you in the past and I apologize for that. All... jealousy aside, I'm glad Nasir has you in his life." Agron finished, letting out a puff of air.

Castus blinked and gaped a little.

"Uh, yeah," he replied dumbly, "My pleasure."

Agron grinned, "He said you even braved the lion's den to help him out."

"Huh?"

"Illythia."

"Oh!" he laughed and nodded, "Yeah, she's efficiently terrifying for a five foot nothing blonde girl. So how's Nasir recovering?"

"Oh, good. Perfect. He slept through most of Sunday so he's feeling great today. I'm actually headed over there after my workout to take him out for dinner."

Castus bit his lip, tossing over his next question.

"He..." Castus sighed, "He was really torn up, y'know?"

Agron sobered instantly and nodded, "Yeah, ah... He's working on it. One step at a time. I almost wish his brother hadn't contacted him, to be honest."

He made a disgusted face, "That's shit of me to say, I know, but... I dunno, it's hard to watch."

Castus desperately wanted to ask for the full story but Agron was right; it was for Nasir to tell.

  
-

  
"I'm never getting drunk again,"

"He says, following in the time honored tradition of everyone who's ever gotten drunk," Castus finished teasingly, "However, just as predictably, he will be breaking that promise very, very soon."

"No, I mean it. Never again. I can deal with the hangover and the throwing up. It's the effect it has on other people." Nasir said dryly, "Do you know how many concerned calls I've gotten since Saturday? I've heard the phrase 'I'm here for you' about fifty times already. Ironically, about half of them are people whose hair I've held back while _they_ spewed twenty litres of problem solving into the toilet."

Castus laughed along dutifully, but he couldn't help noticing how dull Nasir sounded. Even over the phone, he could imagine his friend's downcast look.

"I feel bad that I made them worry," Nasir continued, dropping the sarcastic tone, "I didn't think I was _that_ out of control."

"You weren't!" Castus assured him quickly, "Honestly. You had all your clothes on and I got you outta there before you started singing, you were hardly a nuisance. It's just not what they expect from you. Actually, if I'm honest..."

He sighed, debating whether he should even mention it. But he'd already begun, and Nasir was hounding him with 'What?'s.

"I don't want to make you feel any worse because you sound pretty miserable as it is," Castus warned, "But I don't think they're concerned about the 'you getting drunk' part as much as the 'me taking you home' part."

"What? Why?" Nasir groaned, "What, they think we hooked up?"

"Pretty much." Castus admitted.

"But that's ridiculous! They all saw, I could barely stand!"

"Yeah, well..." he muttered darkly, "That's the part that gets me, too."

For Nasir's peace of mind, he didn't divulge any further about what had gone down with Pietros.

"And I have a-" Nasir whined lowly, "They must think I cheated on Agron. Fuck!"

Castus spent the next ten minutes assuring his frantic friend that they would sort it out and nobody would hate him. By the end of it, he couldn't bring himself to ask about the issues with his brother, so instead he ordered Nasir to ignore everything he heard until they manage to disuade the rumors and hung up minutes later.

Next, he bit the bullet and called Barca.

He was greeted by a gruff, "Hello, fucker."

Castus rolled his eyes, "Yes, yes. Hello."

He was still mad. Unbelievably so. But apparently Barca, at least, had stood up for him last weekend and Castus was desperate to find out what had happened since the disaster breakfast.

"Are you finally pulling your head out of your arse?" Barca asked peevishly, "Or are you fishing for an apology?"

"I shouldn't have to fish!" Castus snapped before he could stop himself, then sighed, "Y'know what? Forget it."

"Wait, wait!" Barca called just as Castus was about to hang up.

"What?"

"Can you please fucking talk to Pietros?"

Castus scoffed, "Oh, he's sent you, his royal messenger?"

"Oh, shut the fuck up idiot, you called me." Barca sounded exhausted, "Castus, you said some shitty things, too. You need to do something. I don't care if you apologise and make up, or at least just get closure, but do something. I'm over it."

"Poor you," Castus said dryly, but so was he, "Fine. Tell him to meet me outside the library tomorrow at 11."

"Tell him yourself-"

"No. Good bye."

  
-

  
By 11 o clock, Castus could only hope that he had a hold on his emotions. Closure was what he was going for. Clearly, he and Pietros just couldn't play nice anymore. If Castus had any hope of salvaging his friendships with the rest of them, they couldn't keep fighting. So he'd reign in his temper for the next ten minutes or so while he gave Pietros a polite 'no thank you' on the reconciliation front just for the sake of progression. If the solid, stern game face Pietros arrived with was anything to go by, he was thinking along the same lines.

"Hello." Castus nodded tightly.

A small background voice in his mind (that sounded oddly like Belesa) mocked him for the dramatics.

"Hey. So, uh..." Pietros sighed and looked away for a moment. When he looked back, he looked surprisingly more sincere than Castus had expected.

"I'm sorry for losing my temper, Castus. I should have trusted you the first time you said nothing happened." Pietros said.

Castus said nothing, anticipating the 'but'.

"But," Pietros delivered, "I'll not apologise for looking out for my friend."

Castus sighed and nodded, "Pietros, that's not... I don't want you to apologise for having Nasir's back. That's not what I was angry about-"

"Right," Pietros interrupted, "But that's what I'm trying to say. Frankly, I think your reaction was childish. You saw it as an attack on your character, when I was just trying to be a good friend- hell, a good person. Shit like that goes down too often in those situations, and I know if we were reversed and I'd taken Nasir home, you'd be just as suspicious as I was."

Castus was frustrated that they'd already escalated to heated tones not three minutes into the conversation, but he couldn't help nodding.

"I guess- Well, yes, you're right. I never thought of it that way." he shook his head and frowned, "But I don't think you understand how it feels to be accused of... fuck, of doing something like that, by your _friends_."

Pietros shook his head, "Anybody is capable of anything. I'm not going to wear blinkers and assume all my friends are angels just because they're nice to me."

Castus looked down as he let Pietros's words sink in. He was right, obviously.

"I... That does make sense. But I do think my reaction was justified. You can't... light a wasp nest on fire and hope they'll just buzz about calmly, listening to your point of view- That was weak."

Pietros chuckled despite the situation and they shared sheepish smiles. Now that it was happening and Castus was faced with the man himself, he wasn't so steel-faced as he'd hoped. It was a little bittersweet, both of them knowing they'd never be the same after they parted.

"I get it, though, I shouldn't have been so harsh. Just... the thought of anyone hurting Nasir, especially when he's too drunk to do anything about it..."

"That, I understand." Castus nodded, blood burning a little even at the mention.

"We met in a support group." Pietros admitted abruptly, taking Castus by surprise, "Nasir and I. I'm not allowed to tell you anything else, but, yeah, that's why I'm so protective. He'd be the same if it were me."

"He'd be worse," Castus joked absently, but his mind was racing. He knew nothing about Nasir's past trauma beyond what he could see in the flesh. He knew a lot about Pietros's past, though, and the whole situation took on a new light when he considered that their stories might be similar. Castus felt ill.

"I'm sorry for what I said about you being a homewrecker," he blurted, blinking rapidly as he tried to hold himself back, "I was just trying to hurt you."

Pietros shrugged and smiled weakly, "It's okay. I thought about that a lot. What you said about me using you as a shield? You were dead right. I feel like a prick. I never even realised..."

"Still, it was out of line to place all the blame of what happened back then on you. It wasn't cool to even bring it up, really. It was ages ago, and everyone's happy now." Castus shook his head at himself, "It must be rough being reminded of it all the time."

Pietros took a deep breath and exhaled sharply. He met Castus's eye and they shared a smile.

"Let's just say the whole event was shitty, yeah?" he suggested tiredly.

"Sounds about right." Castus nodded.

They laughed quietly and fell into a moment's silence. Castus shifted his feet awkwardly.

"So, uh," he mumbled, "I'm gonna back off a little for a while."

Pietros nodded.

"I just think it's best for keeping the peace," he said, "I don't wanna cause any more fights."

"It doesn't have to be you, y'know? You've been around longer than me, I can be the one to... Y'know, remove myself." he groaned and pressed a hand to his forehead, "This is so high school!"

Castus chuckled, "I know, but still, it needs to happen. It's okay though, I'm fine with it being me. I've got other friends, I think... Somewhere. Actually, I had a break through with Agron the other day, so..."

"Oh no!" Pietros exclaimed dramatically, "Don't tell me you're gonna join Spartacus's boy band?"

Castus laughed and shrugged, "Who knows? Maybe."

"Well, I won't judge you too harshly if you do. They _are_ quite fit, the lot of them."

"That, they are." Castus nodded, "Well, anyway, I'd better go. Thanks for meeting me."

"No problem, and... y'know, take care."

They shared one last bittersweet smile and then both turned and walked away.

  
-

  
"We just don't work together. We can be friendly and we can laugh and junk, but we'll always be polar opposites."

It was the second time Castus had called Belesa to his aid that week and this time, he was ready to talk. He told her the whole story from start to finish and she listened diligently, nodding sympathetically where she could but never interrupting. She just let him go, explaining it to himself as much as her, and he loved her for it. By the end of the story, he was feeling infinitely better about his decision to cool off his friendship with Pietros than when they'd spoken at midday.

"Just sucks that I won't have anyone to hang out with on the regular. I mean, I'm sure Auctus and Chadara will visit, and Barca isn't the type to let Pietros's hang ups get between himself and his friends, thank god, but still... Sure I can't convince you to enroll?" he pouted in what he hoped was a convincing manner.

"Not a chance."

Clearly he failed. He hadn't been counting on it, though. Belesa was a free spirit. She went through jobs like tissues and was never doing the same thing for longer than a few months. She'd never commit to full time study.

"Damn. Guess I'll just have to settle for inticing you over every weekend with a bottle of wine." he lamented.

"Guess so. But you're good friends with this Nasir guy, why can't you hang out with him instead?"

Castus cringed, "Because of the feelings."

"The feelings?" she questioned, then snapped her fingers and nodded, "Ah, gotcha. The feelings."

"I can't help it. Even now I'm actually a bit friendly with his boyfriend so I can't use the excuse that I just want Nasir to do better, I still hope one day he might, y'know..." he cut himself off, rolling his eyes, "That's pathetic."

"It's not pathetic, kiddo," Belesa scolding, flicking his forearm, "Though I do think you need to work on getting over him if you're not gonna fight for him."

"I'm not gonna fight," he confirmed, "That's not my style... anymore."

"You're growing," she cooed proudly, "That's my boy. Well, I'll take you out, introduce you to some of my friends. See if we can't get you a shiny new man."

"I don't think I want any of your shiny men. A regular guy would do."

"Suit yourself." Belesa surveyed him for a moment, long enough to get him squirming, before she smiled softly, "I've never seen you feeling like this. He must be great."

"I don't think I know him as well as I thought I did," he murmured worriedly, "But yes, he's incredible."

Belesa sighed wistfully and they descended into silence. Right now, cocooned with his wine and his oldest, debatably best friend, Castus could easily convince himself that everything would be alright. Unfortunately, he knew the illusion would be shattered very soon and he'd have to face the questions and the anger... He took a hearty swig of wine.

"You're a good person, Belesa," he said quietly, "As much as you want to deny it. Thank you for... well, thanks."

She smiled sweetly and clinked her glass with his, "Anytime, cap'n. Anytime."

**Author's Note:**

> Phew, that was a big one. Whooole lotta drama, two new characters and some pretty big changes. I'll definitely go into Nasir's brother situation in later parts. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and commenting, you guys are amazing! <3


End file.
